Are you ready for your next interview with a reporter?

Confidence and preparation are the key to nailing any interview. As an attorney I used to be nervous appearing before a judge.  Not only was there a judge and a courtroom filled with attorneys and bystanders, but opposing counsel was there at the other table waiting to object or enforce the rules of procedure. However, with preparation and practice comes confidence and comfort. 

The same goes for an interview with a reporter. Now granted it is easier to talk with a reporter by phone, but in person, in front of a microphone (or smartphone) or camera, the nerves start to take over. In engaging a reporter like a judge, confidence is key. If this is an issue you are comfortable with you should treat as you would any conversation. In general,

• Answer only the questions asked
• Speak in soundbites
• Know what you want to say and say it
• Stick to your key messages
• Always go back to your key messages

Sometimes, however, you are caught off-guard and the subject is not positive. You are not prepared and not sure what they will ask you. 

If that happens and you find the reporter asking questions and abruptly interrupting you, such as asking more questions before you can answer the first one, know that the reporter has an agenda, and it is not to make you look good. 

If that is the case, wait for the reporter to finish and don't feel like you have to answer everything he or she asks.

Take a deep breath, look at the reporter in the eye with confidence and say,

"You asked a lot of questions, so let me try to answer them."  

While you don't have to answer everyone, just stick to your key messages.

Never be confrontational -- it makes great television, but does not make you look great. Watch out for reporters in this situation ask you the same questions differently.  If that happens just stick to your key messages.

Investigative reporters do their homework and chances are, if they come to you, they may already have produced the story and are just waiting to throw in a sound bite from you. Sometimes investigative reporters work on stories for years, file it away and just continue to work on it until they are ready to air it. 

Sometimes, a reporter will act dumb or seem ignorant. Don't assume they are because they are not -- it is a tactic -- just like silence is used to get someone to talk. If a reporter asks you to explain something, ask them what exactly they want to know. Be as brief as possible and don't talk just to talk - just stick to your message. 

Ninety-five of the reporters out there are professional and great people. In fact, you may find in some instances they are too friendly. Sometimes in preparing for a three minute story, they may spend an hour or more with you and you will talk casually. Feel free to talk but be guarded about what you say about the subject of the interview. 

Again, think as if a judge is instructing the jury that while they can go home they cannot talk to anyone about the case, read anything about the issues or go on Twitter or Facebook at risk of tainting the jury. 

So off camera or when the microphone is down, stick to sports and the weather. 

The best advice is never saw anything that you will regret if your mother, spouse or children read it, see it or hear it. Be prepared, Be Confident and Leverage the Media to help you meet your goals in protecting your reputation. 

I work alone (But not really) – The Life of an independent PR practioner

As an independent practitioner operating in the PR profession, I have the freedom and flexibility of working with a number of companies and organizations in diverse industries.  I also have the freedom and flexibility to work from anywhere, anytime, to limit overhead and unnecessary expenses, while still going on field trips with my children.

Call me indie, a solo-preneur, entrepreneur or small business owner, I think of myself as an individual contractor who builds services around my expertise (crisis management, stakeholder engagement, public affairs, strategic communications) and wraps an experienced-team around specific projects to benefit clients and help them achieve their objectives. Think of me as an interim Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications or VP for External Relations.

So while it may seem I work alone, I often work as a member of a team that includes other professionals, such as lawyers (of which I am also an attorney), auditors, risk officers, designers, programmers, video-ographers and others. 

By design, I am a generalist and find people to round out my strengths. I work hard at developing relationships with other professionals to engage on the right project at the right time.

Without overhead and as an independent practioner, I am able to charge less for my time and devote more time to working individually with each client. I am less informal (and may be casually dressed) than a traditional firm -- You get me instead of a junior public affairs associate, and together, we get one-on-one time without the drama. My time is flexible but my time is yours. 

Top 5 Sources To Change The Public's Perception about Detroit

If you are not defining the perception you want everyone to have, then everyone defines you based on their own perceptions. And even if those perceptions are wrong, then they are still right as far as the audience is concerned. Here are five sources that will change your perception about Detroit. 

1. Detroit Unspun - This site has original content, including videos of all things great about Detroit and is a tremendous resource in aggregating other local news about Detroit.
2. Michipreneur.com - Okay so not just about Detroit but about a lot of things local, including original content about Michigan's startup community -- For Innovators, Creatives & Doers....and another tremendous resource in aggregating other local news about Michigan.
3. Model D Media - A great resource on the people and business remaking Detroit.
4. Deadline Detroit - Need just one website that you can find all the news you need to know about Detroit?  Found it, HERE.
5. Hell Yeah Detroit - A fun read about the people and places around Detroit that gives a great sense of the people and energy around this city. 

Honorable Mentions.

• Visit Detroit 
• Thrillist (Detroit)
• Eater Detroit
• Curbed Detroit 
• TheDistrictDetroit* 
• Opportunity Detroit
• se mi start-up
• Blocal

*FULL DISCLOSURE. a recent client

Honorable Mentions -- Traditional Media.

• Detroit Free Press
• The Detroit News
• Michigan Chronicle
• Crain's Detroit Business
• dBusiness
• HuffPostDetroit

If you find other media focused on telling and sharing stories about Detroit, Michigan and America's North Coast, please send them to me at dcherrin@NorthCoastStrategies.com and I will post them. 

3 Tips Every Developer Needs To Know Before Announcing A Project

I have worked with developers and commercial real estate firms on high profile projects. In working with them, and their team of consultants, I saw how important it is to engage key stakeholders early in the process of any mix-use development and project that has the potential to impact a community. I have also experienced this as the Communications Director for the City of Detroit and Press Secretary for the Mayor of Detroit. 

From the design stage to the public process in securing permits, in addition to raising capital and targeting potential retailers and other tenants, constant engagement is vital to the success of any project. In addition, developing strategic relationships helps to minimize risk and help anticipate barriers to seeing projects to their completion.  

Here are three simple tips every developer needs to know before announcing any high profile project:

1. Get to know the key stakeholders who will support and oppose your project. This includes government leaders and community groups. Develop relationships with them long before you announce your project, to build trust, understand their concerns and find support later on – should you need it. 
    
2. Meet with their leadership in advance to understand their concerns and be ready to respond to them if necessary. This will also help bolster your position during the public process in securing approvals for permits and variances. 
    
3. Identify a reporter that would be interested in your project to share information and background with so that when you are ready to announce, it will be covered extensively. 

More specifically, here a three action items you should implement now and before you publicly announce your project:

1. Create a website to gauge and solicit stakeholder input and encourage conversations from project stakeholders. This could help in generating ideas, set priorities and avoid risk to external issues later. It will also help bolster your position before city council in seeking necessary approvals.
    
2. Directly engaging community groups to develop strategic relationships and support for projects early on in the process. This includes engaging members of city council directly on your vision and the merits of your plans well before you announce anything.
    
3. Work with the media in educating others about the project.  This includes developing relationships with specific trade publications covering the development and construction industry to share information about the projects you are working on or recently completed.  By building up a portfolio, people will begin to trust you and the work you do in the communities you serve. 

The public matters: Stakeholder Engagement

In siting a project, such as a large scale mixed-use development or a high profile project such as a wind farm, pipeline or even WalMart, it is vital that the developer and construction team seek and obtain input from the community early on in the process and aggressively work to educate the media and other key stakeholders on their plans.

In representing such "public" projects, reaching out to the public must become a vital part of the process, otherwise, the project may be at jeopardy from the start. The community should feel like their voices are being heard and listened to. This will improve the chances of the developer realizing their vision and help strengthen their position to seek financing or investors.

In the example of windfarms, I was retained to represent an 1800 MW off shore wind proposal in Southwestern Ontario in Lakes Erie and St. Clair. In one day, I led 7 public engagement meetings and the public was anything but supportive. They could have been if they were involved early in the process, rather than reading about in the newspaper.  Because they read about it they were more emotional about the project than in understanding the big picture and how the developer leading the project was interested in working with the community and their plans for working with the community -- but that message was never heard. So while we listened and responded to their concerns, the project was never implemented. It was not implemented due to regulatory changes in the province, not because of public opinion.

I also represented a deep injection well, several years after the project was in operation and already cited for environmental violations by a previous owner. The new owner retained me to help improve relationships with the community to better understand the deep injection process and impact or lack thereof, this project would have.  So I invited the community into their facility to see the cite first hand, to appreciate the technology and see the depth of safeguards and systems they had in place to avoid future problems. 

Whether directed by law or not, stakeholder engagement is a necessary part of the process, particularly with renewable energy projects.  In these type of projects it is important that the community have any necessary information to the project and have an outlet to ask questions, whether it is through a website, twitter feed or in person meetings. In fact, before a project ever begins it is a good idea to engage key stakeholders in a thoughtful dialogue so you know what you are getting into and can anticipate issues and responses. While we knew we would not get the community's support, we wanted to let them know the new owner was aware of their concerns and willing to work with them. 

There are other examples, from large scale mixed-use developments set to transform a city to environmental justice issues such as the storage of petroleum coke along a major H20 Highway in the Great Lakes, but they all need a strategic strategy to educate a community, listen to their concerns and engage them rather than avoid them. The public needs to be a part of the process. By engaging the community, a developer will have an easier time going to the Mayor for support or getting the city council to agree on their proposal, long before they ultimately need their support. 

Developers are quick to announce projects and share renderings of new buildings.  Often however, they build up hope and good media, only to get sidelined by government that stands in the way of implementing a vision. To make the vision a reality, developers should go to the community first, find the community groups they need for support or at least become aware of their concerns and plan accordingly. This will also improve the developers position to seek financing or investors as it helps tell the project's story.

In other words, for a project to be successful, creating a strategy that engages the pubic early, with sufficient information will help build trust, enhance your reputation and improve understanding of the project to help reach desired outcomes. Successful local engagement, will help improve or overcome any legal and regulatory challenges standing in the way so the next time someone announces a project, it won't be because the public's opinion is not on their side. 

All Great Cities Begin With A Vision

Sustainable leadership starts with a vision. That vision may be from a great mind or a great listener.  The State of the Union, State of the State and State of the City is the prime opportunity of the Chief Executive to celebrate their achievements, communicate their vision for what they want to happen before they leave office and their lay out their agenda for how they will achieve that vision.

As the former Communications Director for the City of Detroit, I have drafted a State of the City and worked to communicate a vision for Detroit. In our case, that vision was a dose of reality, following the previous mayors incarceration, the city's true financial situation exposed and a US economy on the verge of one of the worst recessions in decades. 

"We have a choice," Mayor Cockrel said in 2009. "We can continue to do business as usual and fail to live within our means as a city government, but doing so means that someone else will likely be appointed to come and make the hard choices for us."

At the time, the people of  Detroit did not want to hear or believe that message, but it was our warning that the previous Mayor left us in a very difficult position. As a result, we used that speech and that opportunity to lay out all the cards and give a realistic picture of Detroit's financial situation as we knew it at that time. 

It was also our opportunity to assure the people of Detroit and the entire state of Michigan, in addition to the bond holders that we had a handle on the situation and they they could be assured we were setting the city back on the right path. 

Today, the person appointed to fix Detroit's financial situation came and left. Crane's clutter Detroit's skyline and there is progress in the city. Lots of work however remains. Public safety remains an issue, obesity is a problem and illiteracy continues to plague Detroit. With the city's financial situation being taken care of, it is now time to focus on the people. We need to find a way to break the cycle of poverty in the city, find a way to ensure Detroit schoolchildren start school ready to learn and that a job awaits the people who seek them. 

The Mayor must now work at breaking the cycle of poverty and find a way for everyone to buy into the same vision. 

From city hall to Congress, you need a political strategy

Few executives know how to navigate the intersection of business, government and politics and lack the requisite political and government experience to navigate Washington.  The failure to recognize how politics and government affect their industry can detrimentally impact their business operation and ability to generate revenue.

At one point companies such as Microsoft, Tyco, Facebook, Research in Motion and others ignored Washington and failed to build relationships with anyone having anything to do with Congress. Now, each of these companies has a strong government relations program and effectively communicates with Congress on a variety of legislative issues affecting their company and industry.

They realized that government affects everything we do, from local zoning laws to the American with Disabilities Act to bankruptcy and intellectual property reform. But more often than not, companies simply ignore what government does, hoping it will just leave them alone. And they do so at their peril. Without an effective strategy for dealing with the federal government, corporate players risk losing credibility with Congress, as well as restrictive regulations and even the odd lawsuit by the Justice Department.

Investing in building relationships in Washington, Lansing and other centers of government will prove vital to a company’s success, in addition to tracking the legislation and regulation emerging from the legislature.   Have a public affairs consultant on your team will:

• Open doors and build relationships when you need them and,
• Educate and inform lawmakers of what is going on back home.

An effective external relations strategy integrates advocacy, public relations and positions legislative, regulatory and legal matters before government and key decision-makers. This includes:

• Identifying priorities
• Lining up key supporters
• Finding advocates within government
• Building coalitions
• Show a local impact
• Implementing a proactive media strategy
• Engage the legislature/Congress
• Building political capital

It is important to work with an experienced professional to help your company navigate governments murky waters and start building a network of resources to take action on any issue, with enough time to shape and frame the debate

Creating a government relations strategy

Government makes decisions every day that impact your business. New rules. New programs. Huge budgets. These decisions create challenges as well as opportunities. The right lobbyist can make the difference between success and failure for you and your business.

Historically the job of a lobbyist was to keep government from doing anything that would hurt a corporation.  In fact, lobbyists have been described as “the people you hire to protect you from the people you elect.”

Today, government has a more significant impact on business and the lobbyist role has evolved. Companies hire lobbyist for many reasons:

• To protect the company from bad legislation;
• To secure government funding; and,
• To create a competitive advantage.

Relationships however, remain the center of any government relations strategy. But many companies are hesitant to get involved.

Although lobbying is an ancient art‑‑as old as government itself‑‑it is still frequently viewed with suspicion. It is, in fact, a legitimate activity protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution:  "Congress shall make no law....abridging the freedom of speech....or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

The term "lobbyist" came into usage early in the 19th century, although stories of its origin vary. One account describes "lobby‑agents" as the petitioners in the lobby of the New York State Capitol waiting to address legislators. Another version of the story describes the lobby of the Willard Hotel as the meeting site for both legislators and favor‑seekers during the early 1800s. Either way, by 1835 the term had been shortened to "lobbyist" and was in wide usage in the U.S. Capitol, though frequently pejoratively.

The caricature is as familiar as the name: portly, cigar‑smoking men who wine and dine lawmakers while slipping money into their pockets.

Because the lobbying profession is so little understood, it is often viewed as a sinister function, yet every "mom and apple pie" interest in the United States uses lobbyists.

Simply put, lobbying is advocacy of a point of view, either by groups or individuals. A special interest is nothing more than an identified group expressing a point of view‑‑be it colleges and universities, churches, charities, public interest or environmental groups, senior citizens organizations, even state, local or foreign governments. While most people think of lobbyists only as paid professionals, there are also many independent, volunteer lobbyists‑‑all of whom are protected by the same First Amendment.

Lobbying involves much more than persuading legislators. Its principal elements include researching and analyzing legislation or regulatory proposals; monitoring and reporting on developments; attending congressional or regulatory hearings; working with coalitions interested in the same issues; and then educating not only government officials but also employees.

Lobbying is a legitimate and necessary part of our democratic political process. Government decisions affect both people and organizations, and information must be provided in order to produce informed decisions. Public officials cannot make fair and informed decisions without considering information from a broad range of interested parties.

All sides of an issue must be explored in order to produce equitable government policies. And it is our job to make sure our government leaders have all the facts and are listening.

Five Steps to Establishing Your Personal Brand

Every company is a media company and everyone is a reporter …

Today, every company has a website or other social media presence and have become a media company.  We have shifted our thinking from pitching the media to informing them, from control to credibility and from influencing to engaging new influencers. We build trust through our actions, follow up, relationships and experience.

As we continue to engage on line communities and share information, we are creating our own personal brand. If you are interested in becoming an expert or go to resource on issues you have an interest in or experience with here are Five Steps to Establishing Your Personal Brand:

1. Identify Top News Source in the industry
2. List the top topics you can speak on - i.e. news events, opts to comment
3. Create a contact / resource list - let news know about you and expertise, share info tips and information
4. write your own stories, don't pitch, share the link
5. Anticipate the news and prepare i.e. tips sound bites

To find your inner diva and your personal brand ..

What do you want to say?

Why do you want to say it?

What is the desired outcome?

A lawyer should also become Business Advisor

In today’s economy, lawyers need to provide their clients with more than just legal services.  They can position clients to avoid litigation, minimize risk and protect their reputation, by blending law, policy, politics and strategic communications to provide clients an integrated approach to resolving or avoiding legal problems.

Equipping attorneys with the wherewithal to communicate with the public will provide law firms with new channels to cross-sell services and maintain core clients by expanding into new areas to complement a variety of practice groups.  Crisis and media management represents not just an ancillary service that lawyers can provide their clients but also represents a critical component of a successful legal strategy.

In addition, companies today face increased challenges from regulatory and legislative authorities.  And attorneys need to become more aware of how they can use the legislative and regulatory process to improve their client’s position.

But many lawyers are uncomfortable offering their clients counsel in approaching the media or talking with legislators.  But when the damage is done publicly the legal outcome becomes irrelevant.

If lawyers are uncomfortable in stepping out of the box and expand their practice then they need to develop the relationships to wrap a team around their clients to proactively work together in the best interests of their clients.

First, define your organizations needs

Before you can begin to communicate effectively with others you need to know what you want to achieve and how that fits into your organizations strategic goals.

Too often companies and associations jump right in and want their story published in The New York Times, on the local news or told by others.   However, the first step is figuring out why an executive wants to be in The New York Times or on the local news. An experienced public relations professional can help your leadership team identify and prioritize your marketing goals and then will use those goals to wrap a strategic communications plan around it.

To better define your organizations marketing needs, it is helpful to look at:

• The history of the organization
• Its’ Mission and values
• Key stakeholders or audience you want to reach and why you want to reach them
• issues that you can talk about with credibility and authority
• Current and past PR efforts, what worked and what didn't
• Available research and data to support your efforts
• Budget parameters
• Priorities

Any experience with prior PR or marketing firms should not stand in the way of engaging new perspectives on your marketing needs that also match your marketing budget. However, your organizational priorities should dictate where you invest your marketing efforts and you should let you marketing team, including outside consultants step in to create and implement the strategy.

5 lessons in PR from the ice bucket challenge

It all started with one challenge and one name and now Facebook is inundated with videos of people accepting the Ice Bucket Challenge. Luckily for ALS, so too are their on-line donations. From celebrities, singers and athletes such as Ben Affleck, Taylor Swift and LeBron James, to politicians, such as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie or Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, and business icons such as Bill Gates, we are all accepting and having fun with the ice bucket challenge and raising awareness for a very good cause. 

But the #icebucketchallenge was not meant to go global, but social media has made it viral.  As a result, this reinforces the following lessons in public relations, particularly for nonprofits:

1. Social media matters but know your audience. For social media to matter, there needs to be a purpose and it needs to find the right audience. A lot of nonprofits want to be on social media but for many they just can't find their way.  Before committing to a social media strategy organizations need to first understand who they are trying to reach and where they can find them.  If they are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or Pinterest than create campaigns around the social media they use the most. Concentrate and focus your resources on where you can make an impact. Don't dilute your budget just because you think you need to be more active on Facebook. 
2. Video integrated with social media is important. We are visual people. In fact, we would much rather look at a picture or watch a brief (3 mins or less) video than read this blog let alone anything else. 
3. Content matters. We are all having fun with the Ice Bucket Challenge and watching our friends  join us to raise awareness and money for ALS. But how many of us know what ALS is or how many people it affects.  Perhaps it doesn't matter as long as those two objectives are met. However, the campaign would have more meaning and more support if we knew more about the disease and the lives it impacts. 
4. Gimmicks still work, because we remember them. 
5. Make it personal. Social media is about relationships and finding a connection. Through this challenge we have each made connections and watched our friends accept it. A good campaign makes that connection and finds the emotional appeal that causes another to act. 

So, now I challenge you. Take #theicebucketchallenge and start your own campaign to create awareness of your own cause.